Question 1

Why is knowledge so important?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 1:4These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.Proverbs 10:14Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.Romans 10:14How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?1 Timothy 2:3-4This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.Knowledge is important because it leads to purpose. Knowledge of Jesus changes our purpose in life.Proverbs 2:9-10You will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.Proverbs 4:6Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.Knowledge is important because it protects us from harm and fills us with joy.1 Corinthians 11:2I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you.Galatians 1:6-7I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.2 Timothy 4:3-4A time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.Satan often tries to confuse believers and corrupt the gospel. Truth and knowledge are powerful tools in protecting the church.

Question 2

What is the most important truth I should know and understand?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 1:7Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.Proverbs 1:29-32They hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.Fearing the Lord is not a cowering kind of fear but a healthy respect and reverence for who God is. How can we learn from the source of all knowledge if we don’t respect and revere him and his Word?

Question 3

How can knowledge be harmful?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 47:10-11“You felt secure in your wickedness. ‘No one sees me,’ you said. But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray, and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’ So disaster will overtake you, and you won’t be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won’t be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared.”Knowledge is harmful when it leads us to think we no longer need God. If we rely on our own intelligence to make it through this life, we will be deeply disappointed in the end.1 Corinthians 8:11Because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed.We can easily complicate the simplicity of the message of the Bible with what we know. Learned students of the Bible must be careful not to let their knowledge of Bible facts and teachings obscure its core message. If newer Christians get the impression that their knowledge is more important than how they live, they may stumble in their faith.1 Corinthians 8:1-3Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.1 Corinthians 13:1-2, 8If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. . . . Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!James 2:19You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.Knowledge can never make us right with God. It does not give us a heart like his. Demons know a lot about God, but they hate and oppose him in every way! Knowledge without love often leads to arrogance and pride. This is why we must develop our hearts as much as our heads. Just as knowledge and truth guard our hearts against lies and temptations, love guards our minds against selfishness, pride, cruelty, and other sins. All the knowledge we build on earth will be old news someday, but love gives us something to live for and rejoice in eternally.

Question 4

What do we do with our knowledge and learning?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 4:5Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.Proverbs 6:6Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!Proverbs 12:1To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.Proverbs 24:32Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson:John 15:16You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.Philippians 4:9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.James 2:17So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.The things we learn and know can become a powerful means for God to carry out his plans through us. Education can help us do God’s work because it gives us greater insight into how God’s world works. The knowledge we gain is often God’s way of preparing us for specific purposes in the future—purposes we have yet to discover. God loves to use our experiences and knowledge for unique purposes. God will make use of our training and our experiences to make us even more fruitful for him. Have you been blessed with certain skills or talents? Thank God and use them to serve him. God chose you and created you for a purpose. Often, God shows us what to do as we make use of the opportunities he sends our way. By making the most of where we are right now, we can be prepared to make the most of where God will put us in the future.

Question 5

How can I keep discovering new truths about God?

Accepted Answer

Acts 17:11The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.2 Timothy 3:14-17You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.We can always learn more from God’s Word. When we are taught something spiritual, we must compare that teaching with Scripture to see if it holds up. When we read Scripture, we can pause to consider details that we have glossed over before. We can compare different passages to each other and discover how they all fit together. We can read larger chunks to get a fuller sense of the story. The more familiar we become with God’s Word, the more opportunities we will have to learn from God.James 1:5If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.1 John 5:14-15We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.Through prayer, we build our relationship with God. And we can ask for knowledge and wisdom to help us serve him better. God delights in answering such requests!John 16:12-14“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”Romans 8:26The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.1 Corinthians 2:10-13It was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.The Holy Spirit is God dwelling in us. The Spirit guides our study of God’s Word, opens our minds to God’s truth, and even prays for us when we do not know the words to say. As we learn to be attentive to the Holy Spirit, our relationship with God and our knowledge of him will grow deeper and deeper.Psalm 119:32I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding.Micah 6:8The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.Matthew 9:9As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.2 Peter 1:5In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge.We can learn about God through practical experience with him. When we seek to follow his commands, we learn new truths about him and we learn his values. When we give, we realize that the giver is indeed blessed (Acts 20:35). When we persevere through difficulties, we realize that God helped us grow through that experience (James 1:2-4, 12). When we rely on God to provide, we realize he cares for us just as easily as he cares for the sparrows (Matthew 6:25-34). These experiences are what “walking with God” means and are what Jesus meant when he said “Follow me.” This daily walk, this practical experience, deepens our knowledge of the Lord.

Knowledge/Learning